Ministers will be supporting Jersey athletes at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the largest multi-sport event to be staged in the United Kingdom for a decade.
The Games will be taking place in venues across Birmingham and the West Midlands and will run from 28 July - 8 August 2022.
The Chief Minister, Deputy Kristina Moore; Minister for External Relations, Deputy Philip Ozouf; and Minister for Sport, Deputy Lucy Stephenson will be representing Jersey at the political level. In addition to supporting the 28 athletes who are representing Jersey across eight different sports, Ministers will be using the Games to develop links with Commonwealth member states on a range of areas of shared interest.
The Chief Minister and Minister for External Relations will be participating in the Commonwealth Games Business Forum on Thursday 28 July to engage with political and business representatives from across the Commonwealth, where discussions will focus on shared green trade and investment opportunities and challenges. The Chief Minister will then be attending the Opening Ceremony on Thursday evening before returning to Jersey.
The Chief Minister said: “Jersey has a fantastic sporting tradition and I’m delighted to attend my first Commonwealth Games to show support for our athletes as they compete with the best from around the world.
“We have some talented athletes who will be doing the Island proud over the next two weeks, and I would like to thank Jersey Sport and Jersey’s Commonwealth Games Association for their continuing support for Team Jersey, and the years of preparation that have gone into Birmingham 2022.
“This is also a valuable opportunity for me to meet with our Commonwealth partners, and I’m looking forward to attending the Commonwealth Games Business Forum, which brings together political and business leaders. It is important that Jersey is represented at these events, where we are on an equal footing with larger nations such as Australia, India, South Africa and Kenya – many of whom are key overseas partners for the island.”
Deputy Ozouf said: “Our involvement in the Games reinforces Jersey’s role as a distinct member of the Commonwealth family, building upon the Island’s delegation to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Rwanda in June.
“The Business Forum provides us the opportunity to discuss shared green trade and investment opportunities, the challenges we face as Commonwealth members, and what we can learn from one another”.
In the two days preceding the launch of the Games, the Minister for Sport will be attending the 10th Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting, organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat. Deputy Stephenson will engage with Sports Ministers from other jurisdictions on creating an inclusive and resilient sports sector, as well as enhancing the contribution of sports to the United Nations ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ as part of the meeting.
Deputy Stephenson said: “The challenge of getting people involved in sport is not unique to Jersey, and I’m looking forward to discussing with sports ministers from across the Commonwealth how they are encouraging people to get active and sharing best practices.
“Our mission is to increase the physical activity of Islanders by 10% by 2030. Not everyone will have the ability and dedication needed to reach the level of the athletes at the Commonwealth Games, but I hope that Jersey’s squad will be an inspiration to all islanders, not only to watch, but to get out and get involved too.”
Government of Jersey News Release.